Flexible trowel



March 2 ,1926.

E. s. cowAN FLEXIBLE TROWEL Filed May is, 1925 qxvtneoa Vca. Gum up Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED [STA res PrENr nnean s. cowien, or HARVEY, 1I;L1NoIs.

FLEXIBLE TBOWEL.

Application filed. May 18, 1925. Se ial No. 31,146.

I do declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

When'applying a finishing coat of cement or plaster to a rough wall, such as one which has been poured between forms, dilficulty is very often experienced with the ordinary trowels commonly used, particularly when applying the cement or the like, to walls having a multiplicity of projecting gravels or the like. It is the object of my invention however, to providea flexible trowel of special construction, including a plurality of closely spaced spring fingers disposedin a common plane, any one or group of said fingers being adapted to yield independently of the others as they pass over rough surfaces. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a trowel of the general form above referred to, but having the free ends of its fingers specially formed to produce either a ribbed or grooved finish to the work, or to impart some other desired design thereto.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away and in section, showing one form of trowel constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view as indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a side/elevation of a portion of a trowel, showing a different form of finger construction.

In the drawing above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates a handle which may be of any desired design, the handle shown being very similar to a paint brush. handle and having an elongated back portion 2 at the inner end of the hand grip, this back portion being preferably provided with a'loi'igitudinal rest 3, for a purpose to a pear.

back portion 2 of the handle 1, are a numher or closely spaced spring lingers 4: of uniform lengths. These spring fingers are preferably formed from a single spring metal plate 5, by forming the latter with parallel slits, 6 from one edge to a line spaced from its opposite edge, and the unslit portion of the plate is preferably secured in the kerf 3, by appropriate fasteners 7 passing through the plate and the back portion l The three ends of the fingers 4 may be straight and in alinement with each other as shown in Fig. 1, or they may be shaped to impart an undulating edge to the trowel. One way of accomplishing this, is to form notches 8 in the free ends of the fingers, as disclosed in Fig. 3, and when this is done, it will be obvious that wherever the trowel is moved over the cement being applied, it will leave a rib and groove formation to the completed work, so that very artistic results may be obtained and possibly, various designs worked out.

By using the improved trowel, very rough walls may be plastered with cement or ordinary plaster with ease, as any of the fingers 4c or any group of such fingers may yield with-respect to the others, as they encounter rrics.

numerous imperfections. In using the device, the plastic cement or the like with which awall or other surfaces is to be coated, may be taken from a mortar board or the like by means of the improved trowel, conon veyed to the surface to be plastered, by

such trowel, and applied to said surface by proper manipulation of the trowel. When spreading the plastic upon the surface, the

trowel is so held that the spring fingers 901 obvious that the invention is not restricted to the particular form of trowel shown,

as obviously, it might be fashioned after an ordinary plasters trowel, transversely slit from its edges toward its central portion to divide it into a multiplicity of resilient fingers.

I mime 1; floater-inn trowel conririsiii a laindle, and a plurality: of fiat closely spaced spring fingers projecting therefrom in a common plane, any one or group of said fingers being adapted to yield independently of the others when passing over rough por tions of the well being plastered.

2. A. structure as specified in claim 1; said fingers being formed by slitting a resilient plate from one edge to a line near 10 its other edge, said handle havingn kerf in which the un-slit portion of the plate is secured.

3.A structure as specified in claim 1; said fingers having their free ends shaped to produce an undulating edge for the trowel adapted to impart a special finish to the work.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

EDGAR S. COVAN- 

